Revenge
by BecomingScarlett
Summary: AU/AH. Based off the show Revenge, Grayson Gilbert was an innocent man sent to prison for a crime he was framed for. 15 years after his arrest, his daughter, Elena has returned to the Hamptons with a plan for revenge. "For the truly wronged, real satisfaction can only be found in one of two places: absolute forgiveness or mortal vindication. This is not a story about forgiveness."


**Dear Readers,**

**Thanks for checking out my newest TVD story! After binge-watching season 3 of Revenge on Netflix this past weekend (because I didn't have cable last year, it was sad. I'm still waiting for Netflix to add season 5 of TVD so I can catch up on that too! Anyways...) I was struck with the idea of doing a Revenge-inspired Vampire Diaries story. I came up with who would play who and then decided to re-watch the pilot episode of Revenge, and my fingers did the rest. I think this is going to be a lot of fun to write, and I hope you guys really like it!**

**FYI: This is AU since it will be taking place in Revenge's world of the NY Hamptons. This is AH so don't expect to see any vampires or werewolves or witches in this story - although their are plenty of bitches ;) This story is rated M for language, violence, and most definitely sexual encounters. It is not quite M-worthy yet, but since I think it's unfair to change ratings half-way through, I decided to just make it M now.**

**FYI 2: This story will contain spoilers for Revenge, seasons 1-3, however, I will not be copying every scene from Revenge. Also, you don't have to watch Revenge to read the story, so don't be scared off. And if you do watch Revenge, you'll notice not every deed will be the same nor will every outcome.**

**FYI 3: (Sorry, I'm a little note crazy) I haven't decided on an end-pairing yet (neither have the writers of Revenge, really) so I will take your suggestions as to whether Elena end up with Stefan or Damon, but be warned that there is a romantic relationship with both, so if you can't stand to read it you might not like this story.**

_Disclaimer: I do not have any rights to The Vampire Diaries or Revenge, and both the characters and story plot are credited to those shows respectively._

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><p><strong><span>Revenge<span>**

1. Homecoming

When I was a little girl, my understanding of revenge was simple: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," and "Two wrongs don't make a right". But two wrongs can never make a right, because two wrongs can never equal each other. For the truly wronged, real satisfaction can only be found in one of two places: absolute forgiveness or mortal vindication. This is _not_ a story about forgiveness...

My name is Elena Gilbert. When I was eight years old, my father was ripped away from me in the cruelest way possible. Grayson Gilbert was an innocent man, but he was falsely imprisoned for an unspeakable crime which he did not commit. This heinous act resulted in the deaths of 246 Americans, the cause was a bomb which my father was accused of placing on an aircraft just before take-off. Despite being a truly good and honest man, my father was too trusting, and he chose to befriend the wrong people and love the wrong woman...and it cost him his life. The day my father was arrested and categorized as a terrorist, the day I was carried away - kicking and screaming - and placed in foster care was the day that Elena Gilbert ceased to be the happy, loving child she once was. That confused little girl was made to believe her father was a monster, and she was passed from foster home to foster home for acting out and causing trouble but no one wanted to keep Grayson Gilbert's daughter, and when that confused little girl became an angry and vengeful teenager, she was sent to juvie. The girl who entered West Virginia's Juvenile Detention Center was completely changed when she was released upon her eighteenth birthday, and now that she's learned the truth...now that _I_ know it was the Mikaelsons who blew up that airplane and framed my father...Well, let's just say that it's about time they get what they deserve.

Taking down the Mikaelsons isn't going to be easy, I know, they are Hampton royalty, after all, but that doesn't mean they can get away with what they did to my father. I haven't stepped foot in a one-hundred mile radius of this place in almost fifteen years, and now that I've rented my father's old beach house for the summer and conveniently positioned myself next door to Mikaelson Manor, I can see my plan coming to life before my very eyes. I've prepared for this for five years, since I was released from juvie and Jeremy Ross found me and made me believe my father was innocent. Jeremy gave me the journals my father kept when he served his undeserving sentence behind bars and slowly pieced together the truth about what happened to Flight 897, and now I'm ready.

_Knock! Knock!_

My eyes settle on the sheer curtains blowing in the wind from the open doorway of the beach house, and am unsurprised when Caroline Forbes waltzes in looking tan and gorgeous as ever. She has a huge smile on her face as she greets, "Katherine! Oh, this place is gorgeous! Aren't you lucky? I hate you." She pouts as she pulls me in for a hug, "I wish I had your life!"

"No you don't," I remind her, laughing easily, "You love your life."

"You're right," She happily agrees. She adds jokingly, "I just wish I had your money."

I should probably explain why Caroline called me Katherine. You see, it wouldn't be so easy seeking revenge on the Mikaelsons if they knew Grayson Gilbert's daughter just moved in to his old house on the shore, and I knew that being Elena Gilbert would someday cause problems for me. Luckily, juvie wasn't all for naught. During the four years I spent there, I roomed with Katherine Pierce for the last two and half years of my time. She became a trusted friend - a _sister_ - and she agreed to take on the name of Elena Gilbert and all of its consequences, and I became Katherine Pierce so that I could secure an identity no one would suspect or connect to Grayson Gilbert. There are only four people alive who know my true identity, and even though Caroline is a friend and I know her deepest darkest secrets, she doesn't know mine.

"Should I grab some glasses?" I ask, gesturing towards the bottle of expensive champagne in her hand.

"Oh, no, sorry," Caroline replies breezily, waving with her free hand over her shoulder in the direction of Mikaelson Manor, "This is for Esther."

"Esther?" I question, feigning innocence. I continue unpacking the dishes from my last few boxes in the kitchen as Caroline rolls her eyes dramatically and clucks her tongue.

"Really, Katherine? You are hopeless," Caroline teases, before revealing, "Esther Mikaelson, reigning queen of the Hamptons. Not to mention, _your_ new neighbor."

"_Queen_ Esther?" I repeat mockingly.

"Mmhm, believe me, she's earned the title," Caroline again rolls her big blue eyes as she informs me, "My boss has me handling the guest list for her Memorial Day party. If I screw this up, I might as well move back to Virginia."

_Perfect, _I think, _I've already found a way on the guest list of one of Esther Mikaelson's infamous parties. _"How much are the tickets?" I ask innocently.

"Ten-thousand a pop," Caroline says, her tone giving away how little she could afford to attend a party like this if she weren't coordinating it through event services.

"Count me in for one," I tell her, still remaining casual.

"Are you sure?" Caroline asks, not hiding her surprise.

I shrug, "It's for a good cause, right?"

"Yeah," Caroline says dramatically, "My _career!_" She starts to back away towards the door which she entered, beaming at me widely, "Thank you, Kat!"

I return her smile, calling after her before she ducks out, "Want to get drunk on cheap margaritas later?"

Caroline wiggles her eyebrows, "With or without you!" She waves her fingers and then disappears out in the summer sun.

Under my breath, I wish my friend, "Good luck with her highness."

The ocean has always fascinated me; the strength and power of the waves that crash along the shore, the mysterious depths in which secrets surely must hide, the immeasurable expanse of her beauty which can become deadly in the eye of a storm. I step outside, my bare feet immediately sinking into the soft sand of the beach, and I'm lost in memories of my father and the time we spent together as I tiptoe down to the shoreline. My father taught me to swim, as he taught me to do many things, and so the ocean always reminds me of him. A gentle wave ripples forward and covers my feet in icy kisses which leave them feeling numb. The cold doesn't bother me. Second to him, I recall my mother, because the ocean stole her life and nearly took mine along with her. I suppose for that reason I should fear the great sea before me, and maybe it is only because I was too young to remember the incident that it doesn't frighten me, but instead when I am staring at the ocean I feel empowered. I can do anything.

"You must come from a family of polar bears," I hear a feminine voice comment over the wind, and I turn in mock-surprise as the dark-haired woman approaches, "That water's ice cold."

In truth, I heard her footsteps padding against the sand as she strolled away from Mikaelson Manor, and I expected she might be curious enough to meet the new neighbors. What I didn't expect was the face of Isobel Davis, my father's old secretary, to be whom the voice belonged to. Not only is she a mark on my revenge scheme, but she and her estranged husband are the current owners of my beach house. I am merely renting it from them for the summer, since their marital problems clearly seem to be pointing in the direction of divorce rather than reconciliation. Thankfully, despite my surprise at her arrival, I am able to keep calm and carry on a conversation with her, all the while confident that she doesn't know my true identity.

"Only at first," I tell her with a friendly smile, "After a while you can't feel anything."

Isobel's dark hair blows around her face in the wind, and she brushes it aside with a sweep of her hand, commenting dryly, "Sounds like my marriage." She laughs shortly before looking me over. She concludes, although I am sure she already knew, "You must be the new renter."

I cross my arms over my chest and nod, offering up, "Katherine Pierce. Word gets around fast." I've only just arrived this morning.

"Like lightening," She agrees, extending her right hand cordially, "Isobel Davis." I take her hand in mine and shake it properly. "My husband and I own the house you're staying in." Only once she's pointed out this fact does she drop my hand.

"Oh," I smile a sickly, sweet grin, "Oh, wow! It's so lovely to meet you. I can't tell you how much I love it here."

Isobel nods towards the house. "Me too. Some good memories were made there."

Deep down, I know there must be a warning hidden somewhere in her words, that I won't be keeping this house and I shouldn't get too comfortable. I play coy, "Hopefully I can make some of my own."

"So long as we don't have to take it out of your damage deposit," Isobel teases, a real warning this time. She smiles devilishly as she starts to walk away. She pauses, looking back at me over her shoulder, and adds, "Welcome to the Hamptons."

As soon as she is out of sight, I shrug out of the white cotton robe so that I am standing at the edge of the ocean in only my black bikini. I take a deep breath, preparing for the plunge, and then I dive right in.

After my swim, once I have showered and dressed in dry clothes, I power up my laptop and search for the video footage that has been on my mind since exchanging words with Isobel Davis. I finally find it; her testimony. She was paid off by the Mikaelsons to speak out against my father in court, to back up Michael Mikaelson's claims that my father funded the terrorists who took down the plane, and it was her testimony that made it very clear to my father he was going down for this crime and nothing and no one was going to change that.

"Grayson Gilbert had everyone fooled," I listen to her statement she gave the Channel Eight News team back in 1998, "Including me. I'm just glad I could help put that _monster _away."

Her words make me sick, that she could speak such lies against my father. But then I open the folder which contains evidence against her. I have hundreds of pictures of Isobel Davis and Michael Mikaelson, sneaking around behind their spouses backs, and it is plenty clear that this affair has been going on for a while. Outing her to Mr. Davis is not part of my plan though, oh no, that would be letting her off much too easy. I have something else in mind entirely...

A few days after settling in, I am waiting for Caroline to join me for a late lunch at the South Fork Inn's elegant in-house restaurant, and I am hoping I don't appear too smug to the wait-staff since my true intentions are not to sip wine and dine on crab cakes and caviar. As I phone Caroline to see what is taking her so long to arrive, I catch sight of Isobel sashaying into the hotel, right on time, and I make sure to snap a subtle photo of her entrance.

"Katherine," Caroline answers on the fourth ring, sounding flustered and a bit annoyed, "Oh, I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me."

"Hate you for what?" I query, although I have a pretty good idea.

"Ditching you this afternoon," Caroline fills me in, "I thought I'd be finished by now, but Esther has me dealing with a few last-minute changes for the party. I swear, if she changes one more thing I might have to scream. The party is _tomorrow _and I still have so much to do."

"Oh, well, no pressure there, right?" I joke, and then tell her, "Don't even worry about it, Care. Is there anything I can do for you? Do you need me to pick up your dress for you?"

"You are a life-saver!" Caroline gushes, obviously taking me up on my offer. "I'll text you the address of the boutique."

"Please," I remind her, "You're working, I'm sight-seeing. It's not a problem." _How very un-true that is._

"Thank you, thank you!" Caroline says giddily, "Bye!"

After ending the call, I glance over at the front door of the hotel once more and spy Michael walking in with his head down, his eyes on his phone, and a sport bag slung over his shoulder. A wave of nausea rolls through my body at just the sight of him. But, he too, arrived right on time. Just then, the waitress - Becky - returns to the table and asks if I'd like more tea, which I agree to. After sending her off to the kitchen, I set my plan in motion. From my extensive research, I know that Michael and Isobel meet at the South Fork Inn while Michael's family thinks he's golfing a few times a week, and they have a light meal together, usually paired with champagne, before commencing with their torrid affair. This day is no different than any other rendezvous. Once the order from their room is placed, I ensure Michael's soup is sprinkled with a special ingredient, and then I pay my check and leave the restaurant with my part done. The very first chip has been made in the foundation of the Mikaelson's mighty pillar of power, and it's only the beginning.

Although I left the premises of the South Fork Inn, I didn't stray too far. About forty-five minutes after leaving the restaurant, I hear the tell-tale sirens of an ambulance approaching, and I smile smugly. _It worked. _I'm not surprised, simply...satisfied. I leave the small clothing boutique a few minutes after hearing the sirens and follow the ambulance across the street to the South Fork Inn, where a team of paramedics are lifting Michael Mikaelson into the back on a stretcher, Isobel trailing behind them in a state of shock.

"Isobel," I call out to her, side-stepping a few passersby who have stopped to watch the scene unfold, "Isobel! It's Katherine Pierce. Is everything all right? Oh my God, is this your husband?" I pause momentarily and then offer, "Do you need a ride to the hospital? Is there anything I can do?"

She glances over at me, her dark blue eyes wide with fear, and then back at the ambulance, clearly torn. "N-no...No, I..." She stutters, beginning to breathe heavily. She sends one last lingering look in Michael's direction before turning on her heels and running, pushing people aside in her haste to get away.

I watch her go, my lips twitching with the urge to smile at my own success, but I hold back. It's not over yet, it is barely just begun, and there is nothing to get cocky about. Being confident is a good thing, but being cocky can get someone killed. Sure, I poisoned Michael, but not with anything lethal. He didn't even actually have a heart attack, like he and the paramedics likely think, he's simply suffering from really bad gas, which will be attributed to the spicy soup he chose for lunch. It was never my plan to kill Michael off - how will he pay for what he's done if he's dead? No, like I said, he deserves much worse than that; he deserves to have everything that he's ever loved taken away from him and his name destroyed, just like he did to my father, and like he did to me. This was to scare him, and to hopefully put him in the doghouse when his wife finds out he wasn't golfing at the Club, like he said he was. How is he going to explain the South Fork Inn robe he's being transported to the hospital in when she arrives? Surely he doesn't think she'll believe he was eating lunch alone in one of the inn's suites? Esther Mikaelson is not stupid, and she won't fall for that trick. This is definitely going to stir up some trouble for the _royal _family, and with less than twenty-four hours until their big Memorial Day bash.

What can I say? Payback is a bitch, and I'm happy to be her.

The last item on my agenda is picking up my and Caroline's dresses from the gown shop, and I'm glad when they are ready and waiting for me so I'm literally in and out of the store in under five minutes. I have to get home; names to cross off my list, people to check up on, champagne to be drunk. Something stops me dead in my tracks though, something I never expected or planned for, and for just a moment I can't breathe. Across the street, less than thirty feet from my car, are a man and a dog.

"It can't be..." I whisper, feeling my knees wobbling.

I stumble forward, needing to be closer, needing to see for sure...I'm not positive I even checked to see if any cars were approaching before I stepped out into the road and crossed to the other side. Once I'm safely on the sidewalk, I plan to stop, since this is where my black Porsche is parked, but my feet continue forward onto the grass where the yellow Labrador is fetching a stick for a light-brown-haired man with a nice tan and a perfect smile. Hearing my footsteps, the dog's ears perk up and he looks to me, letting out a small whine. He barks once and then walks slowly towards me, his head low as he approaches. My heart starts to beat erratically, because I never thought I'd see him again. When he's about two feet away, he stops and sits, lifting his snout to meet my gaze.

I feel my throat close up with emotion, "Sam?" It is so quiet, only the dog heard me, but that is definitely a good thing. The lab barks and then jumps on me, happily licking me face as I squeeze him tightly. Tears are pricking my eyes, but I don't cry. I don't cry anymore, it was part of my training. I had to let go of emotions that conflict with my mission, but seeing my puppy again, after fifteen years apart, is nearly enough to make me break the rule. I smile joyfully and soak up Sammy's kisses.

"Hey, whoa! Sammy, Sammy, what are you doing?!" Sam's owner jogs over, taking the dog by the collar and hauling him off me, "What's the matter with you? You don't jump on people."

I let the smile drop from my face as I stand, forced to face the truth that the man in front of me isn't a stranger either. He looks up at me from his crouched position behind Sam, his green eyes lighting up at the sight of my face and causing me to feel extremely exposed. "I'm sorry about that. He's not normally this friendly. He's kind of an old grump, actually." I nod, but say nothing, still expecting him to blurt out 'Hey, it's you, Elena Gilbert'. He doesn't though. Instead, he observes regretfully, "Oh, you got mud on your dress." He gestures towards Caroline's fushia-colored dress for tomorrow, and sure enough there is mud on the hem, which wasn't covered completely by the plastic dress bag.

"Uh..." I try to avoid looking straight at him as I insist, "That's no big deal."

"There's a dry-cleaners right down the road, on the corner," He suggests helpfully, "Let me walk you over."

My heart is pounding so hard, I feel like I might go into early cardiac arrest, and how ironic would that be considering mere hours ago I poisoned Michael Mikaelson so he'd experience the very same thing? How can this be happening? How can he be here? But _of course _he's here. I should have known. His dad owns The Stowe-away, a tavern on the pier, and he lives in Montauk all year round. I just never imagined I'd run into him, or that he'd still have my old dog Sam. I'd love nothing more than to tell him that it's me, Elena, and I've missed him so much. I wish I could catch up with him, but I can't. In another life, Stefan and I could have been a thing, but that life and that possibility was taken from me fifteen years ago. There can never be a thing with me and Stefan. He can never know my true identity.

Not until it's over.

"Oh, that's okay," I say with a shake of my head, stepping away from him a bit. I have to get out of here, before I give myself away. "I've got it. Thanks." I turn to leave.

"Well, hey," Stefan continues, remaining friendly even after I shut down his kind offer, "Tell Bill and Liz over at the dry-cleaner -" I can't resist looking back at him as he speaks, taking a mental picture in my mind of his face and his green flannel button-up shirt and faded jeans and his hopeful smile "- that you're a friend of Stefan Donovan. My family owns the tavern over by the docks: The Stowe-away." He jerks a thumb over his left shoulder, showing the direction in which the docks are. "What's your name? I'll put you on the official comp list." He smirks playfully and my heart aches painfully.

"You don't have to do that," I tell him quickly, waving away his offer, wishing I had just walked away sooner. This reunion is more agonizing that I thought, especially since Stefan doesn't even know it's happening.

"I'm not picking up the tab," Stefan assures me, patting the dog's back lovingly, "Sammy is. He feels terrible, isn't that right, buddy?"

"Thank you," I tell him as gently as possible, "Thanks anyways."

"All right then," Stefan says dejectedly. I finally manage to start walking away from the boy I knew when I was eight who is now a handsome man in his mid-twenties, my sights set on the black Porsche that is now my only hope of escape, before I collapse in a useless heap on the sidewalk. As my left hand grasps the door handle and my right fumbles with the unlock button on my key chain, I hear Stefan mumble, "Have a great summer."

I climb into the car and turn on the engine, hearing Sammy barking desperately outside my car, and I will myself to have the strength to drive away, because if I can't stay composed through one conversation with Stefan Donovan then maybe I'm not ready to be back in the Hamptons just yet. I take a few deep breaths, think about how my father was locked away for ten years in prison and then killed, and remember why I have to avenge him. That is what I draw strength from, and I am able to slip on my seat belt and ease away from the curb, never once looking back at what I'm leaving behind.

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><p><strong>Please Review...or you'll be the next name on my list ;)<strong>

_A Few Author's Notes:_

_1. This chapter follows very closely with the Pilot episode of Revenge, as any of you who watch the show most likely noticed, but future chapters are not going to feature quite so many direct quotes/sequences. I just thought it would make things easier for those who do watch Revenge, to figure out which characters are which. While I do plan on sticking to most of what happens in seasons 1-3 of Revenge, there will be major changes & plot twists because copying something completely is never fun._

_2. Since this story is based off Revenge and all of the characters of TVD are filling Revenge roles, there may be some incidences of character being OOC, but I will try and bring as much of the original character qualities from TVD into the story. Elena is probably most OOC, because the character of Emily Thorne on Revenge is very hardened, and in order to set Elena out on a revenge quest she needs to be hardened up a bit more than season 1 Elena of TVD. Stefan will still be a good-hearted gentleman with a bit of a broody side and somewhat of a hero complex. Damon will still be the sarcastic bad boy with a soft-spot for a certain brunette with big doe eyes. Caroline is still a bubbly blonde with jealousy issues, etc. _

_3. Some last names have been changed and familial relationships, so that the story can follow Revenge more closely. Take Stefan, for instance, who you all read is Stefan Donovan in this. The reason for his name change is because he and Damon are not brothers in this story, and I chose Damon to keep Salvatore for his last name. Stefan has been made a Donovan, and Matt is his younger brother in this story. Jeremy is 'Jeremy Ross' because his character is based off Nolan Ross, and because in Revenge there is no little brother. Also, Isobel was named Isobel Davis, which is her character on Revenge's last name (Lydia Davis), and this is because she is married to Mr. Davis. Alaric Saltzman has a different role to fill in this story, and it will not relate him to Isobel. I hope that's not confusing, and if you have questions please ask and I'll do my best to explain :)_

_4. (I mentioned this at beginning of the chapter, but here it is again) I have not yet decided what the final pairing will be for this story - Elena/Stefan or Elena/Damon. Be warned: there will be a romantic relationship between both no matter what, because that is part of Revenge, so if you have a problem with it then you might not like this story all that much. Part of me wants to make it Stelena, because in Revenge I would have loved to see Emily with Jack, but there is another part of me that knows Delena will always work, and I like Emily with Aidan too, so it's a tough choice. I'd like to hear what my readers think, especially as the story progresses more. You're more than welcome to give your opinion now, but as the story goes on you may change your minds...you never know. So please let me know what your preference is, but keep an open mind ;)_

Thanks so much for reading & I look forward to your feedback! :)


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